“I suppose this is as fine a morning to die as any,” Koda whispered; half to himself and half to the leaders at his side. The king had gathered his men at the edge of the forest. The front lines were made up of whatever men could stand. Any who were not bound to crutches and arm slings stood as the final bulwark of their king. These men, as battered and bruised as they were, were Koda’s last hope; barely strong enough to hold their swords and only strong enough to take a command.

Koda stared in fear at the Estinian forces. To surrender now would save many lives, but in the end Varis would fall, and without their king, Long Whisper would follow soon after. With that, centuries of tyranny would befall Cypress. He had failed King Dallin, his lords, his people, but most of all, he had failed his father.

“It’s over,” Koda finally choked.

From across the field, Commander Unrick called out, “Do you surrender, King Koda?”

Koda reached for his words. At first he spoke nothing, unable to grasp the reality of his situation. Then he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder. Koda followed the hand to find it hand belonged to Adema. Until now Koda had never got a good look at Adema. She was an elf of some sort. Her hood hung low over her face and she wore a gold mask that covered the lower portion of her face. The shadow of her hood covered her eyes. She wore silver leather gloves that neatly accented her white long coat. A dark orange trim finished the coat’s detail. She wore light silver armor beneath her coat, and her beautifully crafted sword hung sheathed on her left side. She was indeed a mystery, rarely ever speaking. She preferred to let her actions speak on her behalf.

“My King, this is why we were sent to aid you. Allow us to handle this,” she said in a low, calm voice.

“Handle? As if it were so simple.” Wiccer turned to her looking as confused as his king.

Adema slowly walked beyond the front lines and pressed forward down the field. She stopped halfway between the two armies. Without turning to look, she commanded her thirty Silent Ones to fall in behind her, “Silent Ones, to me!”

Immediately, flashes of white darted in a row behind her. Adema began to walk again, but at a brisker pace this time. She gripped her blade and drew it from its sheath, creating a piercing sound. Unrick clenched his teeth and winced at the noise.

“When all hope fades, we will continue to fight. For we are her courage, her strength, her light. So draw your blades touched with Jedeo’s might,” Adema chanted as she hastened into a sprint, her Silencer raised in the air.

Upon uttering the third verse, the thirty Silent Ones pulled out their blades in unison. The ringing was so sharp and loud that the front lines of the Estinian army dropped their weapons to cover their ears in agony.

Unrick realized that this mysterious person was a true threat and despite the overwhelming odds against the Silent Ones, he was afraid, “Attack dem! Do not let dem reach de lines!” ordered Unrick as he scrambled further into the back lines of his army.

“And together we shall silence the Night!” Adema called out as she crashed into the front lines, viciously hacking into soldiers too caught by surprise by the sudden advance to react properly. The thirty Silent Ones clashed into the fray, joining their leader.

Together the Silent One forces pushed back the Estinians as they toppled over each other to get away from the deadly Silencers. From far behind his army, Unrick could be heard shouting orders to destroy the Silent Ones. But the zeal of the Silent Ones was not to be underestimated. Each had been tested by the trials of the Blade Range and was willing to die for the glory of their goddess. The Estinians were ill equipped to deal with such a foe, and that disadvantage gave Koda’s forces the upper hand.

Koda looked on in awe at the spectacular feat as less than forty men pushed back a force of one thousand. His men took notice too. They cheered with a new spurt of hope in their hearts, waving their hands and weapons in glee.

“I think it’s time, my King,” said Wiccer, stoically.

Koda trotted his wolf onto the field ahead of his men and raised the Long Whisper banner, “Chaaaarge!”

Koda’s men ran across the field crying blood and thunder in their battle cries, most limping, some refreshed in a dead on sprint. All with vinegar pulsing through their veins as they broke into the now terrified Estinian lines. The enemy forces clambered backward, falling over the corpses of their fallen comrades as they broke into a fearful retreat. However, they were halted in their tracks by the sight of Unrick, who had a dagger to his throat. The Estinians dropped their weapons and cowered on their knees, unsure of what to do.

Koda broke through to where Unrick was crying out for a formal surrender. There he found Elucard holding a thin knife under the chin of the Estinian commander. Timber, Avalon, and Calsoon had several other officers tied and gagged.

“Well done, sergeant. I’ll take it from here,” Koda nodded to Elucard to let go of his prisoner. He then peered into the furious eyes of Unrick, “I admit, you had me beat, but it wasn’t me you needed to defeat. It was the spirit of Long Whisper that defeated you.”

“You vere a vorthy adversary, King Koda. It vill be a delight to vatch you squirm vhen my Div’Rah burns your Lost Dawns to de ground.”

Koda’s smile faded quickly, “Take him away,” he said solemnly.

***

“You let them escape! You let them win!” Inle snarled at Legion.

The two Black Rabbits stood on a ledge in the mountains overlooking the now liberated city of Stonewall.

Legion turned to look at the young shadow elf. His steel clown mask cast a dark shadow in the sunset, “This is not how we want to beat Elucard. Imprisoned by Aric and handed to our clan as some kind of bargaining chip to be at the mercy of the Silent Master.” Legion thrust an index finger into Inle’s chest, pushing him off balance a bit, “That’s not how you imagine his death. Is it?”

Legion read Inle like a book and even as clever as Inle was, he knew Legion was right. He continued to let Legion talk, “You want Elucard all to yourself. You need him to see that you aren’t just his student, but his equal. Elucard sitting in some scum filled cage isn’t the proper ending for him.” Legion walked past him back to the road, “It’s not how I imagined his death either.”

Inle took one final look at Stonewall before chasing after his High Blade. Elucard had to die by his hands and his alone. No one deserved Elucard more. No one.